Kyren Williams vs. Javonte Williams: Who's The Better 2026 Fantasy Football Pick?
Fantasy

Kyren Williams vs. Javonte Williams: Who's The Better 2026 Fantasy Football Pick?

Kyren Williams and Javonte Williams are being drafted as RB2s, but who offers the better upside case for 2026?

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We're back with another episode of, "On the Clock!", the game show where unsuspecting fantasy managers must choose between two seemingly identical fantasy football players with their seasons on the line. Choose correctly, and your fall Sundays will be fun and glorious. Get the decision wrong, and you could be subject to heinous fantasy football punishments. 

Today's options are Kyren Williams and Javonte Williams, a pair of back-end RB1s last season who return to their lead roles in high-end offenses for 2026. Let's dive in and determine which Williams is a better 2026 fantasy football draft pick at their respective fantasy football ADP.

Kyren Williams vs. Javonte Williams: Who Should You Draft In 2026 Fantasy Football?

LA_rams-logo.svgThe Case for Kyren Williams

  • Underdog ADP: 31.2 (RB15)

Few fantasy running backs have been as consistently productive as Kyren Williams over the past three seasons. The former fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame has rattled off RB7, RB7 and RB9 overall finishes since securing the Rams' lead role in his second season. And despite spending a second-round pick on RB Blake Corum in 2024, Los Angeles extended Kyren last year through 2028, significant financial security for a young running back who was ironically asked to do less work for more money almost immediately.

Last season, Kyren handled his lowest snap share, rush attempt share, route participation, and inside-the-five attempt share (among other important and concerning metrics) since becoming the Rams' starter. Per the Utilization Report, here's how Kyren's role changed once the team added Corum in 2024:

Stat202320242025
Games (GMS)131820
Snaps %82%87%67%
Rush ATT %72%78%60%
Routes %66%64%53%
I5 Rush ATT %85%75%59%

As expected, Kyren's per-game output has suffered from the presence of a competent 1B—and it's important to note that Corum only handled 58 carries for 207 yards as a rookie in 2024. So he only took a small bite out of Kyren's production during his first season before carving out a significant role of his own last year. As expected, Kyren's PPR points per game dipped for the second straight year.

Kyren Williams PPR points per game:

  • 2023: 21.3 (RB2)
  • 2024: 17.0 (RB10)
  • 2025: 15.5 (RB11)

This appears to be a full-on—and highly functional—committee. The good news is that Kyren has handled the lion's share of passing-down work compared to Corum, a key to maintaining a PPR floor. Kyren clearly bests Corum in route rate (60% to 34%), target share (8% to 3%), long-down-and-distance snaps (72% to 22%), and 2-minute work (95% to 4%).

Still, Corum's 38% snap share inside the 5 is a legitimate concern. Kyren has scored 15, 16 and 13 TDs over the past three years (12, 14, and 10 on the ground), significantly boosting his fantasy output. Corum bogarted six rushing scores last season while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. If the Rams offense takes a step back—or Matthew Stafford hurts his back (again)—both of these backs will see a significant drop in fantasy production.

DAL_cowboys-logo.svgThe Case for Javonte Williams

  • Underdog ADP: 36.2 (RB17)

Javonte Williams was one of the biggest steals of the 2025 fantasy draft, having joined Dallas after middling RB29 and RB30 finishes to wrap up his rookie contract in Denver. But fantasy managers made the mistake of assuming a washed Miles Sanders could beat out the 25-year-old former second-round pick for the team's lead role. That didn't happen, and 11 fantasy managers out of 12 are still shaking their heads about it. 

The result was complete dominance of the Cowboys' backfield usage in what was the NFL's seventh-best scoring offense. Javonte finished as the PPR RB12, racking up 1,201 rushing yards (4.8 yards a pop) and 11 touchdowns on the ground, while adding a 35-137-2 receiving line. The body of work earned him a Kyren-esque contract extension, keeping him in Dallas for the next three years with two of them essentially guaranteed. 

Javonte's situation offers one advantage when compared to Kyren's: Dallas didn't add anyone of consequence to the running back room, with only practice-squad veteran Malik Davis and second-year back Jaydon Blue behind him. Javonte is likely to see something very similar to the 69% snap share and 77% inside-the-five rush attempt share he saw last season. 

Plus, Javonte legitimately played well last year, ranking fifth at the position with 3.56 yards after contact per attempt, according to PFF. His 54 forced missed tackles were seventh-best, and he was 12th with 26 explosive runs (10+ yards). It's easy to forget this guy is only 26 and still has some juice.

Should You Draft Kyren Williams or Javonte Williams In 2026 Fantasy Drafts?

This question seemed more difficult at the beginning of this article, but the answer is clearly Javonte. Kyren's usage is trending downward, and the Rams' high-end offense could easily take a step back after Matthew Stafford shockingly busted out an MVP season at age 37. And let's not forget that the Los Angeles defense added game-wrecker Myles Garrett—there's a world where it's Corum who grinds out the clock during wins while Kyren wears a giant coat on the sideline. 

Javonte has the benefit of a high-end offense opposite a defense that allowed a league-worst 31.1 points per game last season. There are just way fewer red flags in Javonte's profile compared to Kyren's.

Players Mentioned in this Article

  1. Kyren Williams
    KyrenWilliams
    RBLARLAR
    PPG
    14.9
    Proj
    198.9
  2. Javonte Williams
    JavonteWilliams
    RBDALDAL
    PPG
    14.1
    Proj
    210.9

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